Would you order a cocktail when on antibiotics?

The other day I was invited over to my dearest friend’s home for a girly, chatty evening.

There is nothing better than a cocktail with your girlfriend unless… you are on antibiotics!

She easily convinced me that there is new attitude to the myth “no alcohol with antibiotics” and we had a very pleasant cocktail party!

The next day I decided to ask my know-it-all friend Internet, if I should have had a cocktail the previous night or not?

Here’s what I found:

“The advice that you shouldn’t drink alcohol while taking antibiotics does hold true for a small group of anti-infective drugs including metronidazole (Flagyl, Metronide or Metrogyl), tinidazole (Fasigyn or Simplotan) and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim, Co-trimoxazole).

These drugs block one of the major pathways that metabolise alcohol and cause a rapid build up of nasties called acetaldehydes, which are responsible for many of the unpleasant physical effects of hangovers. With these drugs on board, you can be red-faced, fainting and vomiting after as little as one glass of beer.

For nearly all other types of antibiotics there is no clear evidence of harm from modest alcohol intake.

But this doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to drink to excess when you’re in the grip of an infection, as the sedative and nauseating effects of the alcohol are likely to increase if you are unwell.” (theconversation.com)

Hurray! This week of antibiotics treatment does not need to be that dull after all ;)